Lubricating apparatus



J. F. J. CLEMENTSON LUBRIQATING APPARATUS July 6, 1937.

Filed June 2, 1956 Aww w,

l A, Irl. Ell .7, .6 9 A y A X Zw \m .43W e Patented `luly 6, 1937 LUBRICATXNG APPARATUS Johan Ferdinand `lulius Clementson,

Malmo,

Sweden, assigner to C. & S. Clementson, Malmo-Limhamn, Sweden, a rm composed of Carl Clementson and Sven Clementson Application June 2, 1936, Serial No. 83,156 111 Germany October 9, 1935v '7 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for automatically feeding a lubricating oil, especially an oil having corrosion-inhibiting properties, to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine, in which the oil is mixed with air and the mixture is drawn in through the intake manifold of the engine by the suction produced when the engine is running.

It is well known that the wear of the cylinders of an internal combustion engine is greatest during the starting period before the cylinder walls have been heated to their normal running temperature. In order to prevent, or reduce, this Y wear the lubricating oil should be introduced intoV the cylinders in a relatively large quantity from the moment of starting the engine when cold until the engine cylinders have attained substantially their normal running temperature. 'I'he oil supply to the cylinders should then be decreased and varied in dependence upon the load of the engine in such a manner that the oil supply to the engine increases and decreases with the load of the engine.

The object of the invention is toy provide an apl V paratus by which the supply of the oil is controlled automatically so as to fulfill the requirements above referred to. A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this kind, which is of simple construction and reliable in its action. Further objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawing: Y Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of parts shown in Fig. 1. Referring to the drawing, I designates a bellows and 2 a coiled spring which is located in the bellows and tends to keep it extended. At one end the bellows I is secured to a part 3a of a housing 3, the movable opposite end of the bellows being connected to a slidable rod 4 guided in a hole 5 in a part 3b on the housing 3. The rod ll is provided with stop pins da and lb coacting with the part 3b for limiting the sliding movement of the bar 4 in both directions. The bar il is also provided with a projecting pin E engaging a bifurcated arm 'I secured to the spindle 8 of a needle valve 9 which is screwed into the housing 3 and controls the opening of an oil conduit lll into a mixing chamber I I formed in the housing 3. The oil conduit I is connected to an oil container 'Illa by means of a pipe Ilb. A packing I2 is provided for the spindle 8 of the needle valve for prevent- 551mg entry of false air. An adjustable valve I3 (Cl. 12S-196) screwed into the housing 3 provides an adjustable air inlet for an air conduit Ill leading to th'e mixing chamber II. From the mixingchamber Il leads a conduit I5 which is connected by means of a pipe I3 to the intake pipe or manifold Il of 5 the engine at a place between the throttle It of Vthe carburetor i8 and the cylinder block 2l] of the engine.

The housing 3 is also provided with a second air inlet 2l which is adjustable by means of an 10' adjustable valve 22 and is controlled by means of a valve flap 23 coacting with a seat 24 screwed on'Y the top of the adjustable valve 22. The ap'23 is pivoted at 23a and provided with a bent arm 23h projecting above the rod il. The Vrod li, is 15 provided with an adjustable abutmentxE-having an inclined cam surface 25a adapted'to coact with the arm 23h in such a manner that the flap 23 is raised by the action of the inclined cam surface 25h on the arm 23h when the rod i is moved to the right in Fig. 1. When the bellows I is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 the flap 23 is held on the seat 2d by means ofa spring 2E, thereby closing' the second air inlet 2|. a f a.

' The bellows l is connected by means of a piping 5 2l to a chamber 28 secured on the cylinder block 2S.V Pivoted at 29 to an ear 30 in this chamber 28 there is a lever 3l provided at one end with aA liquid which, when heated, expands and extends the bellows, whereby the latter is` caused to actuate the lever 3l and open the valve 32.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: when starting the cold engine it is desirable that a relatively large quantity of lubrication oil is introduced into the cylinders of the engine from the very starting moment until the engine cylin- 45 ders have attained ksubstantially their normal running temperature, in order to prevent, or reduce, the great wear which otherwise takes place duringthis period and which, as kno-wn, is caused by the highly corrosive action of the acid conv densates which are formed in the engine cylinders and deposited on the walls thereof before they have attained'substantially rtheir normal running temperature.V This relatively rich supply of the corrosion-inhibiting lubricating oil'55' from the moment of starting the engine until the cylinder walls have attained substantially their normal running temperature is effected in the following manner. When the engine is started it produces a vacuum in the intake manifold Il, and by means of the pipe I6 and the conduit I5 this vacuum is transmitted to the mixing chamber I I so that oil is drawn from the container I0 into the mixing chamber II in a relatively large quantity due to the fact that valve 8 is in its most open position, and simultaneously air is drawn in through the valve I3 and the conduit I4. The air and oil are mixed in the mixing chamber, and the mixture is drawn into the engine cylinders through the conduit I 5, the pipe IE and the intake manifold I'I. The air drawn in through the valve I3 serves the purpose of subdividing the oil and taking it along to the engine cylinders where the oil is deposited on the cylinder walls. When the engine has attained substantially its normal running temperature the thermostatic element 3T opens the valve 32 so that the vacuum in the intake manifold Il is transmitted through the conduit 33, the chamber 28 and the pipe 21 to the bellows I which thereby is caused to draw together to a degree corresponding to the occasional degree of said vacuum which, as is well known, varies within wide limits according to the speed of the engine and the setting of the gas throttle I9. At increasing load on the engine the speed thereof decreasesfeven if the throttle is fully open, so that the vacuum in the intake manifold decreases to a low value, for instance 3 to 4 cm. Hg. At such a low value of the vacuum the bellows I is kept wholly expanded by the spring 2 so that the rod 4 by means of the pin 6 and the arm i keeps the needle valve 9 screwed up in its most open position, whereby a relatively rich supply of oil to the engine cylinders is obtained in spite of the relatively low vacuum in the intake manifold of the engine. At decreasing load on the engine the speed thereof increases, and the throttle I9 may be closed more or less. As a consequence hereof the vacuum in the intake manifold increases, whereby the bellows is caused to draw together to a degree corresponding to the increase of the vacuum. When drawing together the bellows E pulls the bar 4 to the right in Fig. 1 so that the bar by means of the pin S and the arm 'I rotates the spindle 8, thereby screwing down the needle Valve 9 so that the oil supply to the mixing chamber II and through the conduit I5, the pipe I6 and the intake manifold II to the engine cylinders decreases as the vacuum in the intake manifold increases. At very high vacuum in the intake manifold of the engine, for instance when the engine is running idly and the gas throttle I9 is almost wholly closed, at which occasion the vacuum may be as high as about 50 cm. Hg, the bellows draws together wholly, whereby the rod 4 is moved in the position shown by .dotted lines in Fig. 2, in which position the needle valve 9 is screwed down to almost wholly closing position. Due to said great Vacuum, however, the suction effect in the conduit I5 is increased so much that even the very small passage for the oil, which is left by the needle valve 9 and which is necessary for upholding the oil column in the conduit from the oil container lila to the mixing chamber II, would result in too great a supply of oil to the engine cylinders. In order to moderate the suction effect in the mixing chamber and thereby to moderate the oil supply at such high vacuum the valve flap 23 is opened when the bellows I draws together under the action of the high vacuum, in that the arm 23h is lifted by the inclined cam surface 25a. Thus the air inlet 2l is opened so that a stream of air which is moderated to a suitable value by adjustment of the valve 22, enters the conduit l5 and moderates the suction effect in the mixing chamber II. Due to the fact that the abutment 25 is adjustable on the rod d the operation of the valve 23 for moderating the suction eiect in the mixing chamber I i can be suited according to the demands for different engines.

The construction can be varied and modified in several respects without departing from the essential features of the invention. For instance there may be used instead of the bellows a diaphragm or a piston movable in a cylinder or the like, and a thermostatic element of another kind than the bellows 3l, for instance a bimetallic spring, may be used for operating the valve 32 in dependence upon the temperature of the cylinder block or of the cooling water circulating therethrough.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. In an apparatus for automatically feeding a lubricating oil to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine by the suction created in the intake manifold thereof, a mixing chamber having an air inlet, an oil inlet which is adapted to be connected to an oil supply tank, and an outlet which is adapted to be connected to the intake manifold of the engine, an operable valve in said mixing chamber for controlling the oil inlet thereof, means operable by vacuum and adapted to be connected to the intake manifold of the engine for operating said valve in closing direction at increasing and in the opposite diection at decreasing Vacuum in the intake manifold of the engine, and thermostatically controllable means for shutting off said valve operating means from the intake manifold of the engine, whereby to keep said valve operatingV means inoperative until the Vengine has attainedsubstantially its normal running temperature.

2. In an apparatus for automatically feeding a lubricating oil to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine by the suction created in the intake manifold thereof, a mixing chamber having an air inlet, an oil inlet adapted to be connected to an oil supply tank, and an outlet adapted to be connected to the intake manifold of the engine, a rotatable valve threaded in said chamber for controlling the oil inlet thereof, a slidable rod, means operable by vacuum and adapted to operate said slidable rod in one direction at increasing and in the opposite direction at decreasing vacuum in the intake manifold of the engine, said valvebeing operatively connected to` said slidable rod so as to be rotated thereby from fully open position in absence of vacuum in the intake manifold to slightly open position at increase of Vacuum in the intake manifold to its highest value, and thermostatically controllable means for rendering said rod operating means inoperative until the engine has attained substantially its normal running ternperature.

3. An apparatus as claimed is claim 2, in which said rod operating means comprises a bellows adapted to be set in communication with the intake manifold of the engine and having a fixed end and a movable end to which said slidable rod is attached, and a coiled spring inside said bellows, said spring tending to keep said bellows extended. Y

4. In an apparatus for automatically feeding an oil, especially an oil having corrosion-inhibiting properties, to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine by the suction produced thereby when running, an oil supply conduit leading to the intake manifold of the engine, a rotatable needle valve in said conduit for controlling the oil flow therethrough, said valve having a threaded spindle, a biurcated arm secured to said spindle, a slidable rod having a projecting pin engaging said bifurcated arm, a bellows having a fixed end and a movable end to which said slidable rod is attached, a coiled spring inside said bellows, said spring tending to keep said bellows in an extended position in which said needle valve is fully open, means for transmitting vacuum from the intake manifold oi the engine to said bellows to move said movable end thereof against the action of said spring in order to rotate said needle valve in closing direction, said vacuum transmitting means comprising a piping having a thermostatically controlled valve therein and connecting the interior of said bellows with the intake manifold of the engine.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which said oil supply conduit is provided with an adjustable air inlet, and in which there is provided an air valve for said air inlet, means for normally keeping said air valve in closed position, and means adapted to open said air valve when the vacuum in said intake manifold eX- ceeds a certain value.

6. In an oil feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 4, an air inlet to said oil supply conduit at a place thereof located between said needle valve i and said intake manifold, an adjustable air valve in said air inlet, a seat on top of said air valve, a pivoted valve flap adapted to coact with said seat and liftable therefrom for allowing air from the outside atmosphere to dow into said air inlet through said air valve, a bent arm on said valve flap, said arm extending to said slidable rod, an adjustable abutment on said rod having an inclined cam surface adapted to engage said bent arm and lift said flap when the vacuum transmitted to the inside of said bellows from said intake manifold exceeds a certain value.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which said thermostatically controlled valve comprises a housing connected in said piping and secured on the cylinder block of the engine, there being provided a lever in said housing, a valve on one end of said lever for controlling communication through said piping between the interior of said bellows and said intake manifold, a spring ac tuated rod tending to keep said lever with said valve in a closed position, and a thermostatic element having a volatile liquid therein for expanding said thermostatic element as soon as the temperature of the engine cylinders increases, said thermostatic element being adapted to engage said lever as soon as a certain temperature is attained, whereby to open said valve against the action of said spring actuated rod.

JOHAN FERDINAND JULUS CLEMENTSON. 

